Employees traveling on behalf of the school district and performing approved school district business will be reimbursed for their actual and necessary expenses. Actual and necessary travel expenses will include, but not be limited to, transportation and/or mileage costs, lodging expenses, meal expenses and registration costs. Travel Outside the School District Travel outside of the school district must be pre-approved. Pre-approval will include an evaluation of the necessity of the travel, the reason for the travel and an estimate of the cost of the travel to qualify as approved school district business. Travel outside the school district by employees, other than the superintendent, is approved by the superintendent or superintendent’s designee. Reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses may be allowed for travel outside the school district if the employee received pre-approval for the travel. Prior to reimbursement of actual and necessary expenses, the employee must provide the school district with a detailed receipt, indicating the date, purpose and nature of the expense for each claim item. In exceptional circumstances, the superintendent may allow a claim without proper receipt. Written documentation explaining the exceptional circumstances is maintained as part of the school district's record of the claim. Failure to have a detailed receipt will make the expense a personal expense. Personal expenses, including mileage, in excess of that required for the trip are reimbursed by the employee to the school district no later than 10 working days following the date of the expense. Pre-approved expenses for transportation within three-hundred miles of the school district administrative office shall be by automobile. If a school district vehicle is not available, the employee will be reimbursed according to the amount allowed by the Internal Revenue Service. Travel Within the School District Employees required to travel in their personal vehicle between school district buildings to carry out the duties of their position may be reimbursed according to the amount allowed by the Internal Revenue Service. It is the responsibility of the superintendent to approve travel within the school district by employees. It is the responsibility of the board to review the travel within the school district by the superintendent through the board's audit and approval process. Employees who are allowed an in-school district travel allowance will have the amount of the allowance actually received during each calendar year included on the employee's W-2 form as taxable income according to the Internal Revenue Code. The superintendent is responsible for developing administrative regulations regarding actual and necessary expenses, in-school district travel allowances and assignment of school district vehicles. The administrative regulations will include the appropriate forms to be filed for reimbursement to the employee from the school district and the procedures for obtaining approval for travel outside of and within the school district.
Date Board Adopted: 9/15/1986
Date Board Updated/Reviewed: 2/21/2022
Legal Reference: Iowa Constitution, Art. III, § 31. Iowa Code §§ 70A.9-.11 (2013). 1980 Op. Att'y Gen. 512.